WWI vehicles.

British Mark I male tank. This is the Airfix 1/76 model which I made years ago. This was a first-release Airfix kit and the flexible track material was eating into the plastic of the model. I had to perform a restoration on the model and place aluminum foil between the tracks and the rest of the model. The right 2 pictures show a modified version which corrects the model to a true Mark I. I couldn't take the inaccuracies any longer. The base came from the Matchbox Comet, but seemed to fit this model better. Approximate year of construction: 1967. Restoration: 1997.

British Mark IV female tank. This is a conversion from the Airfix model with scratch built female sponsons. Note the log on the top rails used to un-bog the tank. This again was an early Airfix tank kit that had "track melt" and needed restoration. In this early model I tried to get an impression of bolt heads by using a hot pin to melt the plastic card. Note the semaphore signaling arm on top. This was a pre-radio era! Carrier pigeons were also used to send messages. Also note the red and white ID stripes. The Germans captured and used tanks so IFF (Identification Friend or Foe) was as important then as it is today. Approximate year of construction: 1968. Restoration: 1997.

German A7V tank. This design did not have the trench-crossing ability of the British tanks and was built in much smaller numbers. This 1/76 model is from a vacuum-formed "Raretanks" kit made in the late 1960's. I remember having a Raretanks Somua also which I never did build, but to this day I still feel the need to build a Somua... Heller make one in 1/76. This is a camoflaged tank lacking markings. The Germans were really playing catch-up in World War One and used more captured British tanks in action than their own models. Approximate year of construction: 1972.

Yes, another A7V, this time around a card model made by my me mate Marvin! The hard edges make a nice contrast to the rather rounded off appearance of the Raretank vacuum formed kit.

Renault FT17, takes its name from the year of introduction - 1917. It was thought that small tanks used en masse might succeed where the heavy tanks - conceived as mobile fire power rather that infantry support - had failed. When actually employed in large numbers they proved quite effective, but often they were employed piecemeal and did not make much impression. This mistake in armour usage was to be repeated time and time again throughout history. (Matchbox 1/76) Approximate year of construction: 1997.